That Don't Mean I Don't Think About You
by CommanderFluffykins
Summary: Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. Tori's leaning on my shoulder with her hand on my thigh. I think I'm going to die if I don't breathe soon. I try and take a calm breath to settle my nerves. I guess Tori hears me. "You okay, Jade? You're breathing a little weird…" She says turning her head to look at me. "Y-yeah. I'm fine." - Please read and review. JORI
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Hey! Haven't posted anything really lately, so here's the beginning of a Jori Story! And on my other stories… not sure I want to continue them anymore. :/

Anyways, hope you like this story!

I do not own Victorious or any of the characters in it.

**Jade;**

I don't know why I actually came here.

Here I am, on the front porch of the Vega residence. Tori invited me and Cat to stay the night tonight. I would have said no, but Cat practically begged me to come. My stomach's got that weird fluttery feeling I get whenever I start thinking of Vega. "Gross." I mutter, angrily. I can't decide if that feeling is bad, or good.

So I decide it's bad.

I know what you're thinking. "Jade gets nervous while thinking of Tori?" Yes, yes I do. Although I would only admit it to Cat, seeing as she is the only one who knows. Now you're probably thinking. "Why would you say no to spend the night at Tori's, if you have a crush on her?" Well kiddos, let me tell you something. It's been getting harder to control my feelings for Tori. There have already been several occasions where I've almost kissed her, and I know she knows I almost have. The first time was after our 'date' at Nozu. Tori hadn't been able to get a hold of Trina, so I offered to drive her home. When I dropped her off, she reached over in the car and gave me a hug. It surprised me, but I accepted it.

The hug was longer than I expected, and when we pulled away, I was starting to lean in and kiss her. But instead I caught myself only inches away from her face and said to her. "I'll see you tomorrow, Vega." She only nodded and got up and out of my car.

One of the other times was when we were at the play and ran from those stalker boys. I was really tempted to just pull her into the janitor's closet and crash our lips together. "Dammit..." I curse under my breath. I hate recalling the feeling, makes me feel like a bunch of mush. I then find myself ringing the doorbell at Tori's door. I sigh, hoping these feelings will go away somehow.

But they don't.

She opens the door, with a big smile as usual. Her smile doesn't really change as she notices it's me. "Jade! Come on in!" She says enthusiastically. I don't say anything; I just keep my lips pressed firmly together and enter her house. I go and sit on her couch, obviously not at ease. "Where's Cat?" I say harshly. "I don't know. She should be coming soon… Why don't we go up in my room while we wait?" Tori says with a soft smile. "Sure." I say, I hop up from the couch and follow her upstairs to her bedroom.

It's kind of weird being in her bedroom. Although I've been to her house plenty times, I've never actually been in her bedroom. This will also be my first time spending the night at her house. Dammit, where's Cat?! This would make this whole thing way less awkward for Tori and I. "So…" I say awkwardly as I sit down on Tori's bed beside her. "So…" She trails off just as awkwardly. I don't say anything and just look over at her; she's sitting there staring into space. I give an awkward cough. "So… what're you thinking about ..?" I say, trying to start conversation. She glances at me then looks away; slightly blushing. "Oh… uhm… Just about… us I guess. I'm not sure if we are friends… or?" She trails off and looks at me with a worried look.

I look at her straight in the eyes. Just as I'm getting lost in them I catch myself. "Well… after the Music Awards… I guess we… are friends." Except you don't have feelings for your friends like these; I think to myself. Tori smiles brightly. It causes me to smile softly back at her. "Y'know… even if you're a gank most of the time… You can be pretty nice." Tori says with a smile. I roll my eyes playfully. "Thanks, I guess. You are pretty nice to have around too." See what I mean? Letting my feelings for her slip out.

She giggles. "Thanks… but it's weird with us isn't it?" I nod. "Out of all honesty, I hardly know you, Jade." I nod again. "Well I guess there are some things I haven't showed you about me just yet." I say with a slight smirk. "Well, how about we ask each other questions! To learn more about each other." Tori says, turning herself on her bed and crossing her legs. I shrug, and do the same, facing her. "You first." I say.

She looks up thoughtfully. "Uh… what's your favorite movie?" "Easy. The Scissoring." I smirk at the name. "You?" She chuckles. "I would have to agree with you on that. The Scissoring is a favorite of mine." I give her a surprised look. "Really? I wouldn't expect you to like it!" "Well… It makes me think of this person I like. And scary movies are good for cuddling with someone you like." She says blushing, avoiding my eye contact. "Oh… you like someone?" I say sadly. "Uhm. Yeah. I doubt she would like me back though." My eye twitches.

I could have dealt with this easier if it was a boy she was talking about. But of course it's a girl.

Just my luck.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE REVIEWS 33 Love you guys! I have a tumblr if you want to follow me: .com

I also have a Jade RP tumblr. It's got Cade in it so…. Yeah it's .com

Reviews & Favorites are very much appreciated!

**Tori;**

She's beautiful. With her pale skin and dark hair; nothing is wrong with her.

Except she doesn't seem to like me much. Well, that's what I thought. Lately she's been dropping small compliments to me. Like, "That shirt isn't so bad." Or "You don't look terrible today for once." I know, I know, I shouldn't take those as compliments. But coming from Jade it's a lot.

She even went as far as to say that she doesn't mind having me around. But of course I've probably ruined any chance of us being friends.

"You're… Into girls?" Jade asks me surprised. I nervously laugh. "Heheh… Yeah…" I avoid her eyes, slightly embarrassed. "Well. I guess that's another thing we have in common." She responds, catching me off guard. I look up quickly. "Really?" She nods. "Since when?" I see her blush slightly, but it disappears when she regains her composure. "Uh… well… I guess you could say while I was with Beck. I was checking out girls and Beck pointed it out to me. It's kind of… why we broke up…" She trails off.

My eyes go wide. "Oh, Jade, I'm so sorry… That must've been hard… If it helps… I was teased for years at my old school for dating a girl. People weren't as accepting then…" She sighs. "Don't be sorry. I'm actually glad it happened. Now I know what I like." She smirks and I find myself blushing. Before anything can get more awkward Jade's phone goes off. I watch as she pulls it out of her pocket and starts to read a text.

"It's from Cat… She says she can't make it tonight. Something happened with her brother again." She says with a frown. "Oh… Well I hope her brother is okay." I say. She shrugs. "He's probably fine. For him that is." I smile and laugh slightly. "Well, yeah."

"OH MY GOD REALLY?! YOU NEVER LEAVE THE LIGHTS OFF WHEN WALKING INTO YOUR HOUSE!" Jade yells at my living room TV. I break out laughing. "Hey! What's so funny?!" Jade says to me, smiling herself. "You're just so into this!" I laugh. "Oh c'mon! You don't think its common sense to turn the lights on in a house when you enter it?" "Well of course it is! But this is a movie! It's all fake." I say with a wave of my hand. Jade rolls her eyes. "You're right."

I can't believe this moment. Jade and I are hanging out watching scary movies we find on TV, which mostly includes her mocking the stupid ones we find and pointing out flaws. I feel accomplished; I've made Jade smile and laugh so much tonight. And the best part of all this?

Jade's letting my sit really close to her. And she's not moving away or anything!

_Time to step it up a notch._ I think to myself. I lean myself more into her, and rest my head on her shoulder. Then, I move my hand onto her thigh and rest it there. Jade stiffens at my touch, but eventually relaxes.

**Jade;**

Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. Tori's leaning on my shoulder with her hand on my thigh. I think I'm going to die if I don't breathe soon. I try and take a calm breath to settle my nerves. I guess Tori hears me. "You okay, Jade? You're breathing a little weird…" She says turning her head to look at me. "Y-yeah. I'm fine." She turns back to face the movie, and I can feel the heat coming from my body. I'm probably blushing like crazy right now, which is something I barely ever do. "This movie is so cliché." Tori mumbles. "Yeah…" I mumble back. I feel Tori's hand on my thigh going back in forth slowly.

Is she trying to make me go crazy? I know, I'll do something back…

I move my arm and put it over her shoulder casually. She glances at me and smiles. "This is more comfortable…" I say as an excuse. "Right…"

"Jade? Do you ever wonder if someone you like notices the hints you drop for them?" Tori asks me out of the blue. "Wow, that's a random question." I say my arm still around Tori as I click through channels for something to watch. "Just answer it." She says rolling her eyes. I sigh. "Well. Yeah. I would want the person I like to know that I like them without having to say it straight forward. I like to drop hints too. Like little compliments and letting them actually have physical contact with me." Why am I telling her all of this? Maybe I want her to know… She chuckles. "Yeah, I get what you mean. I guess you could say I'm really cuddly with the person I like. Especially when it's just the two of us." She says softly.

Wait… She's being really cuddly towards me right now. And I'm pretty sure she doesn't act like this towards Cat or Andre…

Could Tori possibly like me? More than a friend?


	3. Chapter 3

A/N; Wow! Thanks for all the follows, faves, and reviews everyone! It really motivates me to get these chapters done faster when I hear your feedback on them! I try to finish one chapter a day, but sometimes I become busy, so I'm sorry if I don't upload for a couple days. I should upload at least 2 or 3 chapters a week though. Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Victorious or the characters, only this story!

**Jade;**

"Wow… that movie wasn't that bad…" I pull out my phone to look at the time and see it's almost 1am. "Damn… Hey Tori…We should probably go to bed now…" I say, looking down at the girl cuddled into my side. "Tori..?" I nudge my arm into her but she only grumbles a bit in her sleep. I sigh. _Of course she would fall asleep. _"Well looks like you are getting carried to bed…" I say softly, before swiftly picking up Tori and starting for the stairs.

Tori grumbles a bit more before lazily blinking open her eyes and looking at me dozily. "Jade..? What's going on..?" she mumbles. "You fell asleep on the couch while we were watching the movie. I'm carrying you to your bed… There." I say, setting Tori down on her bed. She sits up and starts to rub her eyes. I walk over to my bag and dig through it for my pajamas. "I'm going to go change in your bathroom..." I say, walking into the bathroom.

I quickly changed into some sweat pants and a tank top before returning to Tori's room and finding her already changed and lying in bed. She was wearing a pair of shorts and a sports bra. I stood there and looked at her for a little bit before she spoke up. "Are you going to just stand there and stare at me or are you going to come and sleep?" This caused me to blush slightly, and awkwardly climb into the bed with Tori. She reached over me after I had lay down and turned off the light, causing me to get an almost face full of cleavage.

Tori lays back down and pulls the covers over us. She lies facing me, while I lie facing the ceiling. "Jade?" Tori says softly. "Yeah?" I say, turning over so that I'm facing her. "How come… when we are alone… you are so much nicer to me?" I look at her before responding. "I… I don't know. It's easier I guess. People are so used to me being rude to you so…" I trail off. She doesn't respond, just bites her lip. "Something's been on my mind…" she finally makes eye contact with me. "I want you to know… You can tell me anything. And by anything I mean _anything_. I know how you don't really open up to people but I want you to know that I won't hurt you if you do." Wow. Tori really means that doesn't she?

I feel a smile tugging at my lips, and see Tori smiling too. "Thanks. It really… means a lot to me." _You mean a lot to me, if we're being honest._ "But I'll have you know I'm a bit of a disaster." I say not so jokingly. Tori smiles then suddenly pulls me into a hug. "Well. You can be my perfect disaster." Tori says softly into my neck. "Is this your way of asking me out, Vega?" I joke, a smirk on my lips as we hug. "Well… If you want it to be, it could be." Then Tori pulls back and looks at me. "Badass Jade West wouldn't mind being taken on a date by Tori Vega, would she?" Tori says, smirking herself and cocking an eyebrow. I laugh. "I don't think she would mind much… She might actually enjoy it." I admit. "Great. Tomorrow afternoon; we're going on a date." Tori says, still smiling. I nod carefully, and then let Tori settle herself into the crook of my neck.

"Goodnight Tori…" I mumble as I'm falling asleep myself. "Night Jade…" She mumbles back dazedly. Before I pass out I feel Tori kiss my neck lazily, and then feeling my face grow hot.


	4. Chapter 4

**Jade;**

I wake up to find my arm wrapped around a thin body, whose brown eyes were looking at my blue ones. I almost completely forgot the fact that I had spent the night at Tori's.

"Hey." She said softly, still looking at me. "Hey. Were you watching me sleep?" I say with the best smirk I can muster in the morning. Tori's face flushes and she pulls away. "It sounds creepy if you put it that way…" She laughs awkwardly, attempting to entangle our limbs. I get up out of the bed with her and I only chuckle at her comment.

"What time is it?" I ask, seeing Tori check her phone. "Almost noon." She says, obviously surprised that we slept so long. I just shrug and walk over to my bag. "Mind if I take a shower?" I ask, turning to look at Tori. Wait… was Tori just... staring at my ass? I smirk seeing Tori's once again flushed face. She nods quickly. "I'll go use the one in the hall bathroom." She says just as fast, quick to go and a change of clothes and leave. I just laugh before hopping into the shower myself.

As I was washing myself in the shower, I found myself thinking about what had happened last night. Tori and I had decided we were friends. My mind started to drift to our conversation before we fell asleep and I realized it once again. Tori and I were going to go on a date. And she was totally okay with it. I felt a giddy rush of excitement burst through me and I couldn't help the Cat-like squeal that escaped my mouth. Thank god no one was around to hear that.

After my shower was finished and I had changed into my clothes for the day, I sat down on Tori's bed. I could still hear the shower running from down the hall, so I started to wander around Tori's room, looking at pictures and other things she had set up. I looked at pictures of her when she was younger, with Trina, with her parents, with some of her friends, and then I found it.

Sitting under a picture of Tori and I was a little book with colorful bindings all around it. It sparked my interest, so with careful hands, I picked up the photo and set it aside, then picked up the little book. I opened it and across the first page was _Tori's Diary. _I smiled at her dainty handwriting, and then started flipping through the pages. Sometimes I would find a page that interested me so I would read some of it.

"Today was my first day at Hollywood Arts. I really didn't like it that much at first, but I met a lot of cool people so it wasn't half bad. I accidently ran into this guy named, Buck I think? And spilt coffee on him. So of course I attempted to get it off with my hand, but just my luck his girlfriend (Who I'm totally jealous that he is dating), showed up and snapped at me for touching him. The funny thing is that she doesn't know I wasn't interested. He's just another guy to me, heck; I don't even remember his name! "

Wow… So Tori never was interested in Beck?

"I really didn't like today. It was my second day at HA and I have someone who hates me already. Her name's Jade West. You can tell when she walks by she has high confidence; and she should! She's not only dating the most popular guy in school, but she's really really hot. Today she poured coffee on me during an acting exercise in one of my classes. Now I really want to quit going to this school and go somewhere else. I think I prefer this than being hated for being a lesbian at my old school. Let me tell you something though, I will get Jade back."

"I got her back. I kissed her boyfriend, right in front of her too. She was pissed. But obviously she realized that I am a challenge for her. I must admit; she's hot when she's pissed. This is good for me since she's almost always pissed at me."

I flipped through the pages a few times finding another entry.

"I really didn't mean to hurt Cat when I kissed Danny. I've just been really confused lately. I've never really thought of it, but how would my family react if I came out to them? I don't think Trina would have a big problem, but I'm not sure. I really wanted to have some sort of spark that I used to have when kissing a guy when I kissed Danny. I really deserved getting punched in the nose by Cat. These thoughts I've been having really need to clear up or sort out somehow. Maybe I should just tell my family."

"I think I'm finally getting through to Jade. Today we went to Nozu's and she actually called me pretty! It's a big accomplishment in my book. You know, Jade sure does have a lot of walls up. Ever since Beck and she broke up she's even built them higher. But I think I'm one of those lucky few who are able to climb the wall and get to the other side. The real Jade. The Jade that no one except for Beck and Cat have seen. Maybe one day she'll let me in. Until then, I'm going to keep trying. "

Tori really wants in, doesn't she?

"Jade?" I heard Tori say on the other side of her door. "Can I come in?" She says. I quickly close her diary and put it back where I found it before opening the door. Tori's smiling on the other side, a coffee cup in hand. She sees my obvious interest in the coffee. "I remembered how you get irritated without coffee so I made some." She hands me the mug before entering her room. I take a sip of the coffee and practically moan. I hear Tori giggling.

I glance over at her. "What? This coffee is amazing. I didn't know you knew how to make coffee this good!" Tori just waves her hand with a smile, putting some things in her room away. "It's a family recipe kind of thing. If you stayed more often maybe you would know by now." She says. "Maybe I should…" I trail off, watching Tori as she bends over to pick something up. I resist the urge to touch her, and look away quickly. "I guess I should get going." I say, taking another sip of the coffee before reaching over and grabbing my bag. "Aw…" Tori frowns at me.

"We still on for our date tonight?" I say, a smile forming on my face. Tori blushes. "I would hope so." "Great. I'll pick you up around 7." I start out Tori's room and she follows.

Once on her porch Tori looked at me and smiled. "I'm kind of surprised you accepted this whole date thing. I mean I really didn't think you'd let me see this better side of you." She says, leaning against the door. I shrug. "I guess I never really gave you a chance. But we're friends now, so I can't really push you out forever." Tori nods then sticks out her arms. I raise an eyebrow amusingly. "C'mon, give Tori a squeeze!" She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively and I can't help the flustered feeling I get. I finally give in with a roll of my eyes and pull her into me. "You always give the best hugs, Jade." Tori mumbles into me.

I chuckle. "Thanks." I leant back a little to look at her more, smiling at her softly before leaning in and pressing a kiss on her cheek.

"See you later!" Tori manages to get out as I pull out of her driveway.

A/N;

So now it's Jade messing with Tori? ;)

Hope you guys liked this chapter!

Reviews are very much appreciated, they help me work faster!


	5. Chapter 5

**Jade;**

I pull up to my apartment with ease, relieved that I'm home at last. Walking through the door, I'm not greeted by anyone, and I don't bother claiming that I'm there. If you haven't noticed, my parents are divorced. Long story short; they fought a lot and decided to end it. My dad is always on business trips and never home anyways, so when I was 16 I got emancipated.

My apartment is a pretty good size. My dad is literally loaded, and didn't mind paying for the expenses. He's going to stop paying once I get a job though, which literally sucks. Speaking of my father, I have a missed call from him. He must have called when I was in the shower at Tori's. I decide whether or not to go get food or call him back, my growling stomach making up that decision.

In my kitchen I make myself a sandwich, then sit down and eat. Once I start to get full I decide on calling back my dad. The phone rings a couple of times before he answers. "Hey Jadelyn." He says calmly. "Hey." I say nonchalantly. "What did you need?" My dad barely ever talks much to me unless there's a real reason behind it. "You need to visit your mother." He says firmly. I grind my teeth together, suddenly feeling angry. This always happens, once a year I have to go visit my mom and talk to her.

I am so glad that my parents are divorced. I know you don't hear many teens say this, but I'm serious. My mother is a terrible person. She's an alcoholic and always has been. The alcohol makes her angry though, and when I mean angry I mean angry. She's hit me a few times, and I've always hid them from everyone around me. "I don't want to." I try to say firmly, but I can hear the little girl inside me whining to not go.

"You know our deal with the court. You have to. Just stop by and have small talk with her. Please Jadelyn. We don't need any more trouble." He says with all the authority he has. I sigh, knowing I can't back out of this. "Fine." "Thank you. I'll talk to you soon." He says before hanging up.

I didn't even get a chance to say bye. I think as I retreat from my shelter and into my car, driving to the hell hole I once called Home.

I knock on the door loudly, knowing she won't hear me if I knock softly. "Who is it?!" I hear her angry voice yell from inside the house. "Jade!" I say back. She grunts loudly, and after a few seconds she's at the door opening it quickly. She doesn't invite me inside; I just enter and she closes the door behind me.

"What're you doing here?" She's slow as she speaks anger in her eyes. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't have to." I remark. She nods carefully, then turns slightly and reaches for a bottle of alcohol. "You've been good, I'm guessing." I gesture to the bottle. She laughs. "Damn right." "You're drunk." I say my voice monotone. She snaps her head up to look at me. "No. I'm not. You wouldn't know; you're just a lightweight." But so is she. And you can tell by the way she struggles to even stand, and slurs her speech.

"Put the bottle down." I say firmly. She ignores me and takes a big swig of it, finishing with a satisfied "Ah." I grit my teeth. "You really shouldn't be drinking." She glares at me coldly. "I can do whatever the fuck I want." She steps towards me. "You aren't supposed to be drinking." I say through gritted teeth. Within minutes she swings her fist, and it comes into contact with my face hard. I stumble backward.

She may be drunk, but she's still strong. "Fuck." I curse under my breath. My vision blurs as I feel the tears prick my eyes, and my mother laughs at me. "You're so _weak_." She growls. I don't say anything; I just push past her and out of that horrible house. I walk quickly to my car and speed off. I don't know where I am going, but I keep wiping away tears that burn my eyes.

I eventually pull up to a park and I get out, running to the nearest tree and collapsing against it. My face is hurting from the punch I took, the tears streaming down quickly. I hate this feeling I have for her. I hate how worthless she makes me feel. I hate that I can't do anything about it. Most of all I hate that she's my mother.

When I open my eyes again, it's dark and gloomy. Street lamps nearby illuminate the night and the wind bites at my bare arms. I pick myself up and walk carefully to my car. Once inside I notice I left my phone in here, so I reach over for it and check the time.

Four missed calls and ten text messages from Tori.

I can't believe it; I missed our date. I had one shot at being with Tori and I fucked it up. I read through the messages.

"Hey I'm ready when you are."

"Hey, are you running late?"

"It's okay if you are, I can wait."

"Is something wrong?"

"Jade?"

"Are you standing me up?"

"You are standing me up."

"Jade… At least tell me you are."

"Please respond. I just want to know why."

"I'm sorry for whatever I did."

I felt terrible. Tori thinks that I stood her up. I knew I shouldn't have gone to my mom's. I see I have a voicemail from her and decide to listen to it.

"Hey Jade… I…" Her voice breaks and I hear a sob being held back. "I was r-really looking forward to tonight. I picked out this really n-nice dress I thought y-you'd like." She pauses and sniffles. "I'm sorry. For w-whatever I did… Just please talk to me…" She chokes on her sobs. "Please just talk to me… B-bye." She hangs up and I feel like a hand is grasping my heart and constricting it slowly.  
I find myself driving off to her house, once in her driveway I pull out my phone and call her.

"Jade?" A weak voice answers. "I'm sorry." I blurt out as soon as I hear her voice. "I had to… go somewhere and then I was upset and went to the park and ended up falling asleep… I didn't mean to stand you up." "You didn't?" I can see Tori's figure from her front windows walking around on the phone.

"No. And if you aren't still upset with me I would like to talk to you about… why I didn't show up. I'm outside." I say, watching as Tori turns to look out the window, spotting me in my car. I watch as Tori hangs up the phone, then walks outside to meet me. I walk out and see the surprise on her face when she spots the black eye that I'm sporting.

But she doesn't question it because she knows its part of the reason why I didn't show up.

And I finally feel ready to let her in.

A/N: I honestly really love this chapter, because I feel like the whole matter on Jade's family doesn't get enough attention. Hope you guys liked it!

Feedback is very much appreciated! 3


	6. Chapter 6

A/N; Thank you all for the reviews! It means so much to hear your feedback on this! I didn't think so many people would like this! (: Thanks again 3

**Tori;**

My hand dips into a little container, the mushy antibiotics being lifted with my hand. I carefully lean down towards Jade, where she's sitting on my bathroom toilet. As gently as I can, I start applying the antibiotics to her swelled up eye. She takes a sharp intake of breath at the contact, and clenches her teeth.

"Sorry…"

"It's okay…"

I frown as I continue fixing her eye, thinking about what a horrible person Jade's mother is. "I can't believe your own mother did this…" I say an angry tinge to my voice. Jade just sighs in response.

So far Jade has told me how her mother punched her while she was visiting. "She's done it before…" Jade says sadly. "You don't deserve to have a monster like her in your life." I then take notice that a tear is silently making its way down Jade's eye. "Jade…" I pull back and look at her, her face in my hands. She wipes away the tears and pulls away. "I'm so fucking weak. Just like my mother said." Jade says with anger. She puts her face in her hands and sobs slightly.

I've never seen Jade West so vulnerable. You might think I would hate this moment. But honestly, I think people are the most beautiful at their most vulnerable moments. And right now, Jade looks utterly beautiful.

I crouch down in front of her and put my hands on her arms, pulling her hands away from her face. "Jade. Jade look at me. You are anything but weak." "No. I'm weak, stupid; I'm just a waste on this planet!" Jade says, tears streaming down her face. "Jade you are not weak because you cry. And you are not stupid. Everyone cries and everyone makes mistakes. You are just human. And an amazing one at that." She finally looks me in the eyes, wiping away the tears. She takes a deep breath and calms herself down.

"You're lucky I believe you and don't mind having you around. If you were any other person, I wouldn't even be here…" Jade looks at me, faintly smiling. I smile back at her and squeeze her arms. I know this is another way of her saying she likes me around.

I turn my position on my bed to look at Jade. "Hey. You know how you trusted me with something?" "Yeah?" She turns to look at me. "Okay well, I think it's only fair that I trust you with something." Jade nods, encouraging me to continue. "Alright… So, you know how I said I'm… into girls? Well, at my old school, I used to get bullied all the time because of it. I was only teased at first, but then it slowly got worse…" I shiver at the memories. Jade puts a hand on my arm, trying her best to comfort me. "T-They… started pushing me around. They would hit me, push me into lockers, and push me onto the ground…" My lip trembles when my voice breaks.

"They hated me… No one talked to me much anymore… I hated going to school, because I just felt so unwanted there…" I trail off, feeling my cheeks suddenly wet with tears. I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself. "I wanted to kill myself. That's when I…" I trail off; realizing what I was just about to say, then look at Jade wide-eyed. She gives me a worried look. "You… what?" I don't answer and just squeak before putting my face in my hands. My tears are silent and I don't sob, but I feel guilty.

Then Jade's arms are around me, and I realize that she's hugging me. She's comforting me… I stop crying and hold onto her. "Tori… What did you do to yourself?" She's rubbing my back and I feel so comforted by her touch. "The cutting… That's when the cutting started… I started to do it on my legs afterschool… sometimes in school…" Silent tears trail down my face, and I feel Jade squeeze me in her arms.

**Jade; **

I can't believe all this has happened to Tori. Nice, sweet, caring, Tori. How can people be so uncaring and rude to someone like her? But then I remember. I was. I was always rude to Tori for the longest time. Maybe I had something do to with her cutting… I really hope I don't. "Tori…" I rub her back trying to keep her calm. "I don't do it anymore. Before I went to Hollywood Arts I stopped. I wanted to change for when I came here. I also tried to get into guys but… that didn't work out really. As you can probably tell…" She laughs dryly.

I don't know what to say. I really don't. There is just the sound of our breathing, and me rubbing Tori's back. "If any of that happens to us; just don't listen to them. Their opinions are crap." I say into Tori's neck. "Us?" Tori pulls back and smiles at me. I start to blush, so I roll my eyes to try and hide it. "Y-Yeah. Did you really think after I missed our date that I was just going to let you go?" She then gives me a sweet smile and I can't help but smile back. "You know, Jade, you can be a real softy sometimes." She giggles as she says this.

"Hey! Am not!" I argue, but I can't help the smile on my face from growing. "Yes, you are!" Tori says poking me in the stomach playfully. That's when the laughing and giggling starts, along with playful arguing. Eventually it leads to playful wrestling, as we tickle and argue with each other. "Just admit you're a softy!" Tori says between laughs as she pins me down. "Never!" I say, instantly switching our positions so that Tori is under me.

"Call me a softy one more time…" I lean in close to Tori's face as I talk. She looks me in the eyes and a wide smile breaks out across her face. "Softy." She says with that grin of hers. I immediately close the distance between us, locking our lips together. Tori doesn't seem very phased by the action, and kisses me back. It's only that when I decide to breathe normally, do I pull away.

"That was… wow." Tori says, putting her fingers to her lips and smiling. I return the smile, before leaning down once again and pecking her on the lips.

"So Jade…" Tori starts to say as we are cuddling in her bed, and I'm almost asleep. "Were you going to tell me you were snooping through my diary?" She looks up at me and smirks, knowing she's caught me. "I… Uh…" Tori starts laughing and I feel embarrassed. "Don't worry; it's not a big deal." She rubs my shoulder reassuringly. "Besides… If we are going to be a couple, then we can't keep secrets from each other." I look down and smile softly at her.

This beautiful girl in my arms, about to fall asleep with me; this moment in my life, starting a new part of it, just feels so intoxicatingly good. So I don't regret pressing my lips against Tori's one more time before we fall asleep, and then another kiss to her forehead when she snuggles more into me.

"Goodnight Tori..."

"Goodnight Babe."

A/N;

You guys probably hate me for making you wait for this chapter, but I seriously had like no ideas for the longest time! I really hope you like this chapter, and I know it's longer than the others. I'm going to try making these longer though. (:

Feedback is very much appreciated, it makes me work faster! :D


	7. Chapter 7

**Jade;**

I wake up to the feeling of having a hand around my waist, and I practically jump out of my skin. Opening my eyes, I see Tori's sleepy face, still, well sleeping. Everything that's being going on between us rushes back to me, before I can even have one moment without my thoughts. I look at Tori once more, before planting a kiss to her forehead, and untangling myself from her. I pick up my phone from the bedside table and check what time it is. 2:26 Am. I bite my lip, for some reason knowing that I can't stay at Tori's.

I let myself out of her room and house, slipping into my car and starting it up. I feel numb at the thought of leaving her by herself, but I know that I can't face what I've told her. Sure, I've always liked Tori like this, but something is holding me back. Something's telling me to take a step back and survey the area before I enter it head on. Usually, I would enter it head on, but I've changed a bit since then. Ever since Tori and I became sort of friends, I've been a bit more thoughtful.

But of course I'm the same old Jade, abandoning the situation before I get caught up in it.

The streets are practically barren as I drive closer to my apartment, my fingers tapping nervously on the steering wheel and my eyes hurting from being so tired. Once I reach my house and get inside, I practically collapse on my bed and pass out.

The next morning I wake up to my phone ringing wildly. I groan, turning myself over and reaching for it grumpily. "What?!" I growl into the phone. "Jadey! Tori and I have been trying to get a hold of you for hours!" Cat yips on the other end, not really phased by my outburst. I blink a few times before realizing that I went home last night. "Oh… Okay. Well I'm fine." I say, sitting up in my bed and looking at my nails. "Kay Kay! Tori was really worried… you should probably call her and let her know…" Cat mumbles.

I sigh. "Okay, okay. Anyways… Are you busy Cat? I need someone to talk to… And get my mind off things." I get up from my bed, walking slowly to my kitchen and opening my fridge. "Sure! You can come over if you want!" She chirps excitedly. I smile a little. "Alright, Thanks. I'll be over in about an hour." I hang up after that, not bothering to hear Cat's reply. I pull out a carton of milk from my fridge, taking a couple of gulps of it before putting it back. I hear my phone go off saying I have a text message, so I pull it out and look at it. There were several messages from Tori.

Tori: "Why'd you leave last night?"

Tori: "I would've preferred if you had at least left a note."

Tori: "Jade, I swear if you are ignoring me…"

Tori: "Cat said she can't get a hold of you either. Sorry if we're bothering you."

And then the most recent one.

Tori: "So you answer to Cat but not me? Okay, well I hope you're fine."

I frowned. What was with her and overreacting? It's not like I'm pissed at her or anything. I just need some time to think about things. I start typing up a message.

Jade: "I'm okay; I was sleeping and just woke up."

Tori: "Oh, sorry if we woke you up."

Jade: "It's fine."

Tori: "Why did you leave last night? I woke up and you were gone."

Jade: "I had to do something."

Tori: "Oh… Alright. Do you want to come over? Trina and my mom just left."

Jade: "Can't. Busy."

Tori: "Okay. Thanks anyways. I'll see you at school tomorrow?"

Jade: "Yeah."

She didn't reply after that. I felt stupid for lying to her. It was such a stupid thing to lie about too! I mean why I couldn't just say that I needed some time to think, or that I was afraid. I shake my head. No. I was not afraid. Just…. Nervous. Nervous about how everything will play out. "Just nervous…" I mumble under my breath as I change my clothes. But no matter how many times I tell myself that I know that it's not the whole truth.

Tori bit her lip, her thumbs running over her pear phone, staring at an unsent message. "If you need to talk to me, just let me know." She read under her breath. She shook her head, exiting out of the message before she could send it on accident. Jade was acting weird. One second she was all loving and nice and open to Tori, the next she was hiding away behind a wall like Tori was a monster.

She was shutting Tori out again. Tori typed up a new message, this time to Andre.

Tori: "Hey, you busy today? Was wondering if you wanted to hang out.

Andre: "Nah, I'm free. What did you have in mind, Tor?"

Tori: "Just come over, I need your input on something."

Andre: "Sure girl, I'll be over in a bit."

Tori knew she should probably keep this to herself, but she really didn't want to. She had to talk to someone about this thing with Jade, and Andre was a close friend. He was the first to come to mind and Tori knew that he would give an honest opinion on this whole thing. Tori hopped up her stairs, changing into something better for when Andre arrived.

"You and Tori what?!" Cat squealed, giving her whole attention to Jade. Jade rolled her eyes. "Calm down Cat, it was just a kiss. Okay, maybe a couple, but still! Nothing big." She crossed her arms, slightly regretting telling this to Cat. But who else would she tell? Her and Cat had been friends for a long time, years before Jade and Beck had dated. Most people would think that Cat was an airhead all the time, but if you actually told her it was serious, she would listen.

"Jade. This is Tori we're talking about. You know? Tori, the girl you told me you might have feelings for?" Cat waved a hand in front of Jade, like it would make her realize it. Jade shook her head. "Whatever. I woke up at like two in the morning after we fell asleep, and left." Cat frowned. "Why? You want this and by the sound of it Tori wants it too." Jade sighed at this. "I don't know. I just felt like I needed to get out of there. I needed to sort my thoughts, and I can't do that when she's there." Cat nodded listening to the other girl intently.

"Now that I got that out… Can we watch a movie or something? I don't want to think about it right now." Jade pulled at the collar of her shirt, like it would help in some way. Cat twisted her mouth before nodding. "Alright, Jadey. But not talking about it won't help."

"Okay…" Tori took a deep breath, running her palms over her jeans. Andre watched her from the other orange couch, arms stretched out. "So… I think I might like Jade." Andre nodded. "Okay… but I'll have you know that she pretty much hates you." Tori cringed at his words. "No… I mean, like like. As in romantic." Andre raised an eyebrow. "Really? Okay, well if you still have that wig and clothes maybe we can stop it… or get you to sing a song about her." Andre suggested, putting his hands together and rubbing them.

Tori shook her head. "No, you don't understand. I don't want to get rid of these feelings." Andre raised an eyebrow at her again. "Alright, alright, I understand." He smiled reassuringly at her. Tori smiled back. "Also… she spent the night last night… and we kind of… kissed." Tori bit her lip. Andre looked at Tori a little weird. "You did?" Tori nodded quickly in response. "Are you sure you weren't just imagining it? I mean you two probably stayed up really late and you thought you did. Or you had a dream you did." Tori furrowed her eyebrows at his words.

"No… I remember it happening. I really do. I'm not making it up." Andre sighed. "I'm just saying, I can't see Jade kissing you. Or even being nice to you for that matter." Tori curled her hands into fists. "I'm not lying! It happened! I wouldn't say it if I wasn't completely sure!" Andre put his hands out in front of him in defense. "Alright, alright, girl!" He got up off of her couch, starting for the door. "If you say it happened, then it happened." But Tori could tell he was just saying that. "I'll see you at school tomorrow; I have to go help my grandma with something." Tori got up from the couch with a sigh. "Okay. See ya." She shut the door behind him, a fake smile plastered on her face.

How could he not believe her?!

A/N; Hope you guys like this chapter!


	8. Chapter 8

Jade got up the next morning, not sure if she was excited or not about going to school and that the fact that it was a Monday. She arrived at school and was greeted by an over excited Cat, as always. "Good morning Jade!" Cat chirped, bouncing on the heels of her feet. Jade rolled her eyes but gave Cat a slight smile. "Morning, Cat." Cat smiled at her response, but her smile faltered. "You're in a good mood… and you don't have coffee?" She looked at Jade's hands in wonder, watching as the raven-haired girl rummaged through her locker.

Jade shrugged. "I must've forgotten about it. I've been a little scatterbrained lately." She said the last part softly. Cat sighed. "You need to talk to her. Apologize, kiss, I don't know... But this needs to stop now. You need to stop being so scared, Jade." Cat said firmly. Jade was slightly surprised, Cat was sounding way more mature than Jade was. After Cat said that, a nervous Tori came up. "Hey guys…" She said with a small smile and wave. "Hey Tori! How're you? That's great! Okay, see you later!" Cat quickly said, speeding away and leaving a very confused Tori with Jade.

Jade turned around, slightly smiling when she saw Tori's confused face. "Am I missing something?" Tori asked, raising her eyebrow and smiling a bit back at her. Jade chuckled. "No. Cat knows… about… us." Jade gestured between the two of them, feeling guilty for avoiding Tori recently. Tori's eyes lit up and her smile grew. "Oh! I didn't know you're telling people! That's… that's great!" Jade couldn't help but smile at her. But when she got a wave of guilt, she rubbed her hand against her neck. "Yeah… Uh, I feel bad about avoiding you… So I was wondering, would you like to ditch school for the day with me?" Jade smirked, liking the idea of doing something she shouldn't.

Tori was surprised at Jade's almost apology, and even more surprised at her invite to ditch. "Oh… well, sure! I want to but…" Tori looked hesitantly down the hall towards her first class. "Oh, c'mon Vega. It'll be… fun." Jade says, taking Tori's hand to get her to agree. Tori glanced down at their now intertwined hands before looking up at Jade and smiling. "I guess… where are we going?" Jade smiled, happy that Tori had agreed. "It's a surprise." She gave Tori her signature smirk before pulling her hand and leading her out to her car.

"I should've known you would bring me to a coffee shop." Tori said with a light laugh as her and Jade walked hand-in-hand into the small coffee shop a little away from the school. Jade rolled her eyes with a smile. "I haven't had coffee all day and it's the first place I could think of. Besides, we _are _supposed to be going on a date so..." Tori laughed, pushing Jade's side playfully. "I didn't say I didn't like it. It's nice and simple. I love dates like that." The two of them walked up to the counter, looking over the menu carefully.

"Hello, what would you like to order?" Some guy who looked about their age asked with a smile. "One black coffee with one cream & two sugars." Jade replied, then looking at Tori to see what she wanted. "Uhm… I'll just have a caramel cappuccino." She smiled at the guy behind the counter, squeezing Jade's hand. He nodded and Jade reached into her pocket, handing him some money. She then led Tori over to one of the tables, and they sat down still holding hands.

"So… Why are we ditching school again?" Tori asked, turning her head to the side a bit as she did. Jade stared intently down at their intertwined hands, playing with them carefully. "I feel guilty. I've been avoiding you and hiding myself again." Tori rubbed the back of Jade's hand with her thumb. "I noticed… what's on your mind, Jade?" Jade took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. "I've been really… nervous about this… I don't want you to have to go through the same shit you did at your old school." Jade looks up at Tori, sincerity in her eyes. Tori nods carefully, "I understand… but I don't think it will. I think the worse that'll happen is I'll get teased… but I'm dating you, and everyone seems to be afraid of you." Jade pursed her lips listening intently. "You're right. I've been so stupid about this whole thing." Tori smiled and squeezed Jade's hands.

After a while of talking and receiving their coffees from the guy at the counter, Tori went a little silent. Jade looked at her in question, taking a sip of her coffee. "What's wrong?" She asked, frowning slightly. Tori sighed, "I told Andre about us… and he didn't believe me." Jade reassuringly squeezed Tori's hands. "He doesn't matter." She said, taking one of Tori's hands and kissing it. "He can believe what he wants, but next time he sees us together, holding hands, I think he'll know he was wrong." Jade smirked at a grinning Tori.

A/N: I wanted to write more for this chapter, but I've been pretty unfocused and a little busy lately. I'll try and get more done soon, but for now I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is very much appreciated (:


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